Symposium to examine legal and environmental effects of BP spill

Loyola University New Orleans College of Law presents “The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill—A Billion Pound Dossier,” a legal and environmental examination of the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The symposium will be held on Friday, Sept. 17, from 1:15 – 5:30 p.m., in Loyola’s College of Law, 526 Pine Street, Room 405. It is free and open to the public. A reception will follow.

The featured presentation will highlight fundamentals of oil and gas exploration and production operations and address the players, events, reactions and responses in the Deepwater Horizon accident. Two panels on environmental litigation and environmental science will present opportunities for questions and answers.

The first panel on environmental litigation will offer legal perspectives of different stakeholders, including private and public claimants. Groups of claims, causes of action and litigation strategies will be discussed. The panelists will also address corporate and regulatory fixes to improve the authorization process for offshore installations as well as spill prevention and response. Panelists include Stuart H. Smith, J.D. ’86, a longtime Loyola supporter and environmental advocate (Smith Stag, L.L.C.), Joel Waltzer (Waltzer & Wiygul) and Mitch Crusto, an expert on disaster and environmental management (College of Law, Loyola University New Orleans).

In July, Smith was a featured instructor at the Loyola University Summer International Environmental Law Program at the University of Vienna Faculty of Law. Smith’s sessions focused on the current oil crisis impacting the Gulf Coast.

Public health, as well as coastal ecosystems, marine life, plant and wildlife will be the focus of the second panel. Particular emphasis will be placed on documenting environmental contamination and natural resources damages. Panelists include William R. Sawyer, Ph.D. (Toxicology Consultants & Assessment Specialists, L.L.C.), Marco Kaltofen (Boston Chemical Data Corp.), Anthony Ladd, Ph.D. (Department of Sociology, Loyola University New Orleans), LuAnn E. White, Ph.D. (Tulane Center for Applied Environmental Public Health) and Paul Barnes, Ph.D. (Department of Biological Sciences, Loyola University New Orleans).

For more information, contact Markus Puder, Ph.D., at 504-861-5642 or mgpuder@loyno.edu.

For more information on the College of Law, contact James Shields in the Office of Public Affairs at 504-861-5888 or jshields@loyno.edu.

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